University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 1-1-2006 Clientelism and the Copts: An examination of the relationship between the Egyptian Church and state. Derek Brian Barker University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Barker, Derek Brian, "Clientelism and the Copts: An examination of the relationship between the Egyptian Church and state." (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7065. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7065 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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A b s t r a c t This paper seeks to explore the root factors which prevent Egyptian Christians, commonly know as Copts, from successfully participating in the country’s mainstream political system. The state of Copts in Egypt warrants significant attention, yet most reports consider their under-represented status to stem from discrimination from the country’s majority Muslim community. While that dynamic is present in varying degrees, it does not explain the Coptic Orthodox Church’s unwavering support for the ruling party and President Hosni Mubarak. Not only did the Church endorse the President during the recent 2005 elections, it has also carried out censures of secular Coptic activists who push for reform. This study contends that the failure of Copts to be properly represented in government is not due to simple discrimination, but is linked to the same phenomenon which constrains any pluralism within Egyptian politics. The Coptic Church, instead of pressuring for political reform, has entered into a patron-client relationship with the state. This relationship sees that the President supports policies which are religiously significant for the Church in return for a commitment from the clergy to continually instruct its congregation to support the ruling party. The problem of Coptic political participation is therefore little different than that of any other political group within the Egyptian state. Co-operation with the ruling party politically is necessary in order to carry out activities without constraint. For the Coptic Church, this entails a great deal of autonomy in the conduct of religious affairs in return for granting the ruling party autonomy within the political sphere. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To my parents, For teaching me to dream To Amber, For making my dream a reality Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A cknowledgements The completion of this project would not be possible without the assistance of my supervisor Dr. Tom Najem and the entire Political Science Department, who provided me with tremendous research opportunities and support. Credit is also strongly due to Negad el-Borai and the dedicated members of the Group for Democratic Development in Egypt, as well as that of the Ahmed Samih and Al Andalus Center for Tolerance and Anti- Violence Study. Finally, my thanks to Mr. Sameh Fawzy of Al-Watani newspaper and Ehab Salem, both of whom greatly helped this thesis come together. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. t a b l e o f Co n t e n t s A b s t r a c t iii D e d ic a t io n iv Acknowledgements v L ist of F ig u r e s v iii Ch a pter I. Introduction a n d M e t h o d o l o g y 1 Reflection on Literature 4 Good Governance in the Arab Region 4 Islamism 10 The Coptic Christians 12 Methodology 15 Textual Research 16 Interview Structure and Participants 17 Interview Questions 17 Additional Resources 18 Ethics 19 II. T h e o r e t ic a l Considerations 20 Islam and Good Governance 22 Arab Cultural Norms and Good Governance 27 Clientelism 32 III. Cl ie n t e l ism a n d Co n t r o l in th e E g y p t ia n S y s t e m 38 Clientelism under Nasser 39 Clientelism under Sadat 41 Clientelism under Mubarak 42 Tactical Clientelism 43 Constitutional Control 45 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Judicial and Parliamentary Controls 47 Economic Control 52 Control over Civil Society 55 Monopolization of the Tools of Force 58 IV. I sl a m a n d th e Im p a c t of Co ptic M e n t a l it ie s o f V ulnerability 62 Christians According to the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions 63 Early Muslim Rule in Egypt 65 The Fatmids 67 The Mamluks 68 The Colonial Period 70 The Muslim Brotherhood and Extremist Islamic Movements 72 Sadat 75 Mubarak 77 V . T h e F o u n d a t io n s of Cl e r ic a l A u t h o r it y a n d t h e M e c h a n is m s o f Ch r is t ia n Co m m u n a l S o l id a r it y 82 Roman and Byzantium Persecution of Coptic Christians 83 Asceticism in Coptic Ideologies 89 Church Controls over the Coptic Community 97 VI. T h e Cl ie n t e l ist R elationship B e t w e e n Ch u r c h a n d S t a t e 106 VII. Co n c l u s io n : L o o k in g t o w a r d s th e H o r iz o n 116 B ibliography 121 V i t a A u c t o r is 129 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. L i s t o f F i g u r e s Figure 6.1: Model of the Church as a Clientelist Broker Figure 6.2: Clientelist Model Demonstrating Vertical Hierarchy of Independent Clientelist Relationships Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Ch a p t e r o n e : I ntroduction A n d M e t h o d o l o g y The Coptic Orthodox Church has its roots in St. Mark’s legendary proselytizing journey to Egypt in the first century A.D. Since then, Egypt has had a turbulent history, with various authorities vying for control of a country which was strategically important both in its location and the resources it contained.